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Finding & Using Images Online

This research guide will help you to find various types of images on the open web.

Cite Your Images

Food--don't waste itImages follow a different citation style than other kinds of text-based works (like books and articles). Common citation elements include: 

  • Artist or creator’s name or username
  • Title of the work
  • Date of creation
  • Medium of the work
  • Institution and city for a work of art
  • Website or database name
  • Date of access (for MLA, when the source does not specify when a work was produced or published)

Provide both a citation and an attribution for your images. Here are some sample citations and attributions for the image found on this page. Attributions should be placed under your image.

  • APA style citation: 
    • Cooper, F. G. (1917). Food--don't waste it [Lithograph]. Library of Congress, Washington, DC, United States. https://www.loc.gov/item/2002708936/
  • APA style attribution:
    • Note. From Food--don't waste it [Lithograph], F. G. Cooper, 1917, Library of Congress (https://www.loc.gov/item/2002708936/).
  • MLA style citation:
    • Cooper, Frederic G. Food--Don't Waste It. 1917. Library of Congress, www.loc.gov/item/2002708936/. 
  • MLA style attribution:
    • Fig. 1. Frederic G. Cooper, Food--Don't Waste It, 1917.

Basic Format

Artist or username. Title of Artwork. Date the image was created. Database/Website, URL.

Image from Artstor

Chagall, Marc. The Yellow Room. 1911. Artstor, library.artstor.org/asset/LESSING_ART_10310483270.

Image from Museum Website

Chagall, Marc. Village Street. 1930s. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, collections.mfa.org/objects/34267.

Image from Image-Sharing Website

Dowsett, A. Helicobacter Pylori Bacterium. 2018. Pixels, pixels.com/featured/helicobacter-pylori-bacterium-a-dowsett-health-protection-agencyscience-photo-library.html.

Image from Image-Sharing Website with Username

NASA Johnson. ESA Astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti Collects Microbe Samples. 2022. Flickr, www.flickr.com/photos/29988733@N04/52355954583.

Basic Format

Artist or username. (Date). Title of artwork: Subtitle [Medium]. Database/Website, URL

Image from Artstor

Chagall, M. (1911). The yellow room [Painting]. Private collection, Switzerland. Artstor. https://library.artstor.org/asset/LESSING_ART_10310483270

Image from Museum Website

Chagall, M. (1930s). Village street [Painting]. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. https://collections.mfa.org/objects/34267

Image from Image-Sharing Website

Dowsett, A. (2018, September 16). Helicobacter pylori bacterium [Photograph]. Pixels. https://pixels.com/featured/helicobacter-pylori-bacterium-a-dowsett-health-protection-agencyscience-photo-library.html

Image from Image-Sharing Website with Username

NASA Johnson. (2022, September 13). ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti collects microbe samples [Photograph]. Flickr. https://www.flickr.com/photos/29988733@N04/52355954583

To cite this LibGuide use the following templates:

APA: Northern Essex Community College Library. (Date updated). Title of page. Title of LibGuide. URL

MLA: Northern Essex Community College Library. "Title of Page." Title of LibGuide, Date updated, URL.